Monica Gersbach Forrer

Born in New jersey, one of four children of Swiss/American parents. Childhood in Palo Alto in the Bay area of San Francisco; at the age of 10, the family moves to Switzerland.

Since the early teens, creation and several exhibitions of jewellery, “sculptures to wear”.

Evolution towards work with Chinese inks, later oil and acrylic on canvas. Since age 15, privileged contact with the artist-painter Raymond Perrenoud, his teaching and wisdom.

Qualified MD (Lausanne and Zürich), specialized in medical genetics. Work in hospital clinics (Bern and Geneva Universities) in the field of genetic diseases, often severe, often inherited, with very limited therapeutic possibilities at the present time despite human genome sequencing and considerable progress in molecular biology. A field where human values and ethical dilemmas are a daily topic, the “technically possible” is not necessarily the right human choice for everyone.

For many years, art was for few, almost stolen moments, life was so full, mother, partner, an intense job, fascinating, full of meaning, a family, friends, traveling, a happy life, privileged, overflowing, with a hidden constant, often peaceful and beneficial, sometimes intense, sometimes a kind of internal emergency, a river looking for its sea. Then illness, providing even more love for life and also its share of mystery.

After a long sickness leave, and confronted with the impossibility to continue in such an intense job, the obvious stands out, the other passion, creativity. Almost immediately, oil on canvas takes over all the healthy days. Another world, but one where what one has become vibrates, underlies inspiration, brings sharper awareness of the world inside, a sounding board where echo the world, impressions, questions, concepts, and also emotions, dreams, revolt, colours and shapes … an internal world that wants to be born and reach out to others.

The river has found its sea. The priority seems always the same, feeling alive and celebrating life, interact, love, look out for a better world … and if not finding perfect wisdom, to come in time to perceive and surrender to the greater mystery!